PSG 2021/22 season review: Top scorers, assists & player of the year
By Tom Gott
It's hard to sum up how the 2021/22 season went for Paris Saint-Germain.
Won Ligue 1 = Good.
Played badly in Ligue 1 = Bad.
Flopped in the Champions League = Bad.
Kept Kylian Mbappe = Good.
With that in mind, here's a deep dive into the 2021/22 season for PSG.
PSG 2021/22 player of the season
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe remains one of the game's elite talents, and he continued to shine across the 2021/22 campaign.
39 goals and 26 assists in just 46 games is absolutely mental. He won Ligue 1's Player of the Season award and impressed in the Champions League as well, memorably scoring in both legs of the last 16 against Real Madrid.
And thankfully, he might win this prize in 2022/23.
Honourable mentions: Marquinhos, Marco Verratti
PSG 2021/22 goal of the season
Lionel Messi vs Manchester City
Lionel Messi didn't score a lot of goals in his debut year in Paris, but his first strike was definitely the best of the bunch.
In the group stage clash with Man City, Messi picked the ball up on the right wing and embarked on one of his trademark runs towards the box, playing a great one-two with Mbappe's backheel before firing into the top corner from the edge of the box.
It was these kinds of moments that had PSG fans so excited about Messi's arrival in the summer.
Honourable mentions: Angel Di Maria vs Brest, Kylian Mbappe vs Real Madrid
PSG 2021/22 performance of the season
PSG 1-0 Real Madrid
Real Madrid may not have had the opportunity to win the Champions League if PSG had taken all their chances in the first leg of their last 16 tie.
PSG were absolutely dominant from start to finish, controlling 57% of possession and mustering up 21 shots on goal compared to Real's three. Unfortunately, like so many after them, they were bested by Thibaut Courtois.
It took a moment of magic from Mbappe to secure the victory, in one of the Ligue 1 side's most memorable European victories in recent years.
Honourable mentions: Lille 1-5 PSG, PSG 4-1 Club Brugge
PSG 2021/22 signing of the season
Nuno Mendes
19-year-old Nuno Mendes didn't always get the minutes he deserved this year. The young left-back arrived on loan from Sporting CP in the summer and absolutely excelled.
He was really impressive defensively but also a massive threat in attack, with the stats sheet not really doing justice to his impact on the team.
PSG have already triggered the option to buy him permanently, which tells you all need to know about the Portuguese star.
Honourable mentions: Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma
PSG 2021/22 most improved player
Danilo Pereira
Danilo hasn't always had the biggest fanbase in Paris. The defensive midfielder has attracted plenty of criticism for some underwhelming performances, but a lot of those doubters started to disappear across 2021/22.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Danilo's game was his new-found love of scoring goals. He bagged five this year, having scored two across the previous two campaigns.
Comfortable with the ball at his feet and willing to do the dirty work for a cast full of superstars, Danilo flew seamlessly under the radar this year.
Honourable mention: Nuno Mendes
PSG 2021/22 disappointment of the season
Georginio Wijnaldum
Jurgen Klopp was desperate to keep Georginio Wijnaldum at Liverpool. The Dutchman was this dominant midfield enforcer who scored three goals in four games at Euro 2020 before coming to Paris, so expectations were very high.
He ended up falling catastrophically short.
Wijnaldum wasn't a regular starter, with his performances failing to earn himself consistent minutes. In fact, it was his decline that allowed Danilo to shine in his place.
Dishonourable mentions: Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi
PSG 2021/22 most appearances
- Kylian Mbappe - 46 (35 Ligue 1, 8 Champions League, 3 Coupe de France)
- Presnel Kimpembe - 41 (30 Ligue 1, 7 Champions League, 3 Coupe de France, 1 Trophee des Champions)
- Achraf Hakimi - 41 (32 Ligue 1, 8 Champions League, 1 Trophee des Champions)
- Marquinhos - 40 (32 Ligue 1, 8 Champions League)
- Georginio Wijnaldum - 38 (31 Ligue 1, 5 Champions League, 1 Coupe de France, 1 Trophee des Champions)
2021/22 top scorers
- Kylian Mbappe - 39 (28 Ligue 1, 6 Champions League, 5 Coupe de France)
- Neymar - 13 (13 Ligue 1)
- Lionel Messi - 11 (6 Ligue 1, 5 Champions League)
- Mauro Icardi - 5 (4 Ligue 1, 1 Coupe de France)
- Angel Di Maria - 5 (5 Ligue 1)
PSG 2021/22 top assisters
- Kylian Mbappe - 26 (19 Ligue 1, 6 Champions League, 1 Coupe de France)
- Lionel Messi - 15 (15 Ligue 1)
- Angel Di Maria - 9 (8 Ligue 1, 1 Champions League)
- Neymar - 8 (6 Ligue 1, 2 Champions League)
- Achraf Hakimi - 6 (6 Ligue 1)
2021/22 record in all competitions
- Ligue 1 - P38, W26, D8, L4, GF 90, GA 36, GD +54, Pts 86, Position 1st
- Champions League - P8, W4, D2, L2, GF 15, GA 11, last 16
- Coupe de France - P3, W2, D0, L1, GF 7, GA 0, round of 16
- Trophee des Champions - P1, W0, D0, L1, GF 0, GA 1, final